Fate: Alternate Rewind
by ariados26
Summary: Yeah, reincarnation is definitely a b****. First I live my life pursuing my ideals. Then I find myself facing my younger self, got convinced not to kill him, merge with him, and then wow, he dies and we get reincarnated together in a really wonderful world. Sheesh! Now, I have to do it again, and this time without him! Well, at least I'm not alone. Misery loves company after all.
1. PROLOGUE

**PROLOGUE**

"_as I pray... UNLIMITED BLADE WORKS!"_

"_EX-"_

"_-CALIBUR!"_

_In an instant, a powerful, golden light, emanated from a sword, which was wielded by a pink-haired female, a shine that was enough to brighten the sunset of the barren hill were countless swords were scattered. It tore through and ripped in half an extremely powerful ball of black energy which was powerful enough to destroy entire cities, ripping through it, as well as its source: a gigantic, one-eyed creature with ten tails: the Juubi, that was continuously being assailed by an endless rain of swords. And it was enough to obliterate the monstrosity..._

"_AAAARGH!"_

_As well as the person controlling it, for he was stunned by the occurrence, and was unable to move, shocked by the fact that a mere human being possessed the power to not only match, but defeat the most powerful attack of the tailed beast: the Tailed Beast Bomb, at its full power. And even if he tried to escape, he would not been able to, for he had been fused with Juubi, even if not completely, and would not have been able to get away in time. Thus, the bijuu, as well as the one manipulating it, were engulfed in the light: nothing remained._

_It was finally over. True, it had been long and gruelling, but finally, it has been won. Peace, was now at hand. _

_However, it was not a joyous victory. For many of them, had fallen in the struggle. Her friends... her comrades... she could actually not believe it herself, that someone like her, had actually considered them as such. A being of great pride and power like herself would have, in the past, considered as nothing but mere insects and annoyance. Now, however, she had grown fond of them, especially her dearest friends... her precious people..._

_She had used up all of her power, all of her chakra, to help charge that one last attack. She gave it everything she had. She did everything she could to protect her friends..._

_And she had no regrets, except for one..._

_For despite trying her hardest to remain for as long as she could, she did not even manage, did not even get the chance to talk to them and say goodbye properly. Still, she did manage to remain long enough to see their enemy destroyed..._

_Perhaps it was indeed better that way... after all, she did not exactly enjoy such moments. She wanted to see them smile, but looking at their faces full of sorrow, she knew it was impossible. So instead, before she vanished from existence, she gave them one of her own... a smile, filled with gratitude, thanking of the times they spent together... it may have been short, but it did not matter... for it had weighed much more than centuries... the hundreds of years of existence, when she did not have direction... for they were the ones who her life meaning... the people, who had given her the chance to experience true happiness..._

"_Thank you for everything..."_

_These were the last words that came out of her mouth, before she vanished into nothingness..._

_Still, despite the sadness she felt at not being able to stay with them, she was sure that everything would be alright... that they would be able to move forward without her..._

_Yes, and it was good enough for her..._

**-BREAK-**

"?"

She awoke with a start, confused, having been awakened by a loud roar that echoed throughout the area...

"Ow, my head hurts," she muttered, cursing under her breath, as she held up one of her hands on her forehead... somehow, the roaring voice she heard seemed very familiar.

Soon, she got up, inspecting her surroundings, as she tried to compose herself...

She was, as she realized, standing on top of a branch of a tree, which seemed to be the tallest tree in the area... Somehow, the surrounding forest gave her a sense of ease, as if she had been there...

"The Forest of Death," muttered the woman once again, as she attempted to reorganize her thoughts. "How did I know that?" she whispered to herself...

Suddenly, she saw a large black sphere moving at an incredible speed, destroying everything in its path, tearing through buildings, like a bulldozer, before...

BOOM

... it exploded, obliterating everything in the large radius of its effect, leaving nothing but a huge crater where it landed...

And as she saw the sight before her, she could not help but feel something tugging at the back of her mind, as if she had seen all of this before, but from a different perspective... Somehow...

"**DIE! FILTHY HUMANS!"** roared a thundering voice, which echoed through the night, as another black ball of energy exploded, leaving nothing but destruction in its wake...

Knowing it was better to know that not knowing, she turned to look in the direction where the voice, as well as the large ball of energy, had come from...

"?!"

For a moment, everything seemed to stop for her, as she saw for herself, what it was that created those powerful balls of energy... And then...

She screamed, a loud echoing scream, which thankfully no one had noticed, for everybody else were to busy dealing with the thing... a gigantic, red-orange creature, with nine tails... as her mind was flooded with memories, which came back to her, as if triggered by the sight...

"What the..." she muttered to herself, staggering, as she processed the thoughts that were now flowing in her head...

It was impossible. The situation she was in was absolutely impossible. Well, not really impossible, but given the situation that she had been in, the chance of something like this occurring was one in almost a countless number of chances...

Yet here she was, staring at the large red-orange creature with nine-tails... the Kyuubi no Kitsune...

...she was staring at herself (?!)...

"What the hell," cursed Kurama, her eyes not leaving the giant fox, as it continued wreaking havoc in the Hidden Leaf Village. Well, 'it' may be a harsh term, but after what she had been through, Kurama knew that there was no other word that could fit... for with her Reinforced eyesight, she noticed that the kitsune's, her other self's eyes, were different, with three tomoes on each one... She was not herself. She was being controlled and manipulated by that goddamn Uchiha who nearly managed to destroy the world, and even though he failed, he was responsible for killing many of her comrades... and since the fox was nothing but a puppet on strings at the moment, 'it' was the only word that would fit...

Yes, it was definitely not a nice experience. True, Kurama did not want to die, and she would have nothing but to be able to stay with her friends... but this...

"Zelretch be damned," cursed the kitsune to herself. True, she had not really meant the old vampire, but Kurama, from being around a certain someone too much, had gotten used to blaming him for any untoward and unfortunate incident which occurred to her that did not seem to have any logically acceptable explanation...

Whenever things go awry, blame Zelretch...

In truth, Kurama actually had a half-mind to simply leave, or just kill herself, after all, with all the new things she had learned in just a few years with her companions, it would be a fairly easy task...

However, she found that she couldn't. For some reason, while a part of her wanted to disappear, a part of her wanted to stay and help...

And as she saw that the mark of the Sharingan begin flickering from her giant counterpart's eyes, as the manipulator was beginning to lose his hold, Kurama knew that she could not continue watching... she had to make a decision, and fast...

Leave them to their fate and try and forget everything... or help and protect them...

Had she been her former self, Kurama would probably not even have bothered. Now, however...

_Damn it, what the hell am I doing?_ cursed the fox inwardly, for when she noticed, as if on reflex, she was in motion, moving as fast as she could, towards the spot where she knew that her other self had been, based from the fox's sudden disappearance (and the only one which remained was a giant toad named Gamabunta), teleported by the Yondaime...

**-BREAK-**

(Minato POV)

It would soon be over. The choice has been made. Soon, the nine-tailed fox would be defeated, sealed, once again, inside a host, and the new jinchuuriki... an infant, their own son. And as the bijuu was held down by chains, he prepared himself to perform the handseals for the Shiki Fujin, to summon the Death God.

Still, it had not been an easy decision for the Yondaime Hokage and his wife, Minato and Kushina. And in fact, he was wishing that there was a better option, though sadly, there was none.

Kushina, being the overprotective mother she was, wanted to have the Kyuubi sealed once again inside her, knowing that her end was near. Once she died, the beast would die with her...

True, Minato also saw the logic of the choice, however, he also knew of its consequences. For Kyuubi was a bijuu, and thus, was a powerful being. And if it were to disappear and was reincarnated later, it would probably come right back and attack the village again. And even if it did not return, the other villages would find out that Konoha no longer has hold over the Nine-Tailed Fox, and thus, Konoha would be in a compromised position, for their enemies would undoubtedly view this loss as a weakness, and would undoubtedly capitalize on it.

Therefore, he was left with no other option. Much as it pains him, but he knew there was no other choice. He had to seal the Kyuubi inside of his newborn son Naruto, and though she was against it, realizing the truth, Kushina also relented. It was a risk, they knew, but they would make sure that failsafe would be in place. True, they were doing it for the village, but both parents were actually doing it more for the sake of their son than for the sake of the village. After all, as long as the Hidden Leaf remained strong, Naruto would be safe and protected...

"MINATO! HURRY!" cried the Yondaime's wife.

All of these thoughts passed through him swiftly, however. For now was not the time to think. Kushina, despite her best efforts, was slowly losing her hold over the Kyuubi. It was time to act...

Before he could begin performing the handseals, however...

"I wouldn't do that if I were you..."

In one moment, the Yondaime froze, distracted, as he felt another presence, a powerful one, force its way through the barrier...

The next moment..

"KUSHINA!" screamed the Namikaze, as he saw his wife slump to the ground, undoubtedly at having used up every last ounce of strength she had...

Completely forgetting everything else, the Yondaime immediately teleported to Kushina's side...

And unfortunately, one of said things he had forgotten in the spur of the moment, was the fact that the barrier and chains were no longer in place... and thus...

"**DIE!"** roared the fox in triumphant rage, as its claws extended towards its intended victims with all the speed and power and it could place on it... and the intended victims... the Yondaime and his wife, who was also the bijuu's former vessel...

'_Damn'_

And Minato knew, as he held his unconscious wife in his arms, that no matter what he did, despite having been dubbed the Yellow Flash, he would not be fast enough to avoid it...

It was over. He and his loving wife were dead. And once the Kyuubi was through with them, he knew that it would kill their son next... All hope was lost...

"RHO AIAS!"

...or not...

"?!"

"**?!"**

A bright, white light, suddenly engulfed the area, temporarily impairing the Yondaime's vision...

Soon, however, the light dissipated, and the first thing that the Yondaime saw...

"Are you alright?" the person asked...

...was a woman, who was wearing a kimono, standing right beside him and his wife. She was tall... slightly taller than Minato, and had red-orange her. But the most striking feature about her...

...were her eyes, which were a piercing crimson red...

And in front of them, as Minato noticed, was a glowing pink flower, with five petals... or at least that was what it looked like. Yet the Yondaime knew, that it was not. It was probably one of the woman's technique's, some kind of shield, which saved their l...

"**GRRRRR...WHO DARES?"**

Upon hearing the roaring voice, the Yondaime as well the woman, turned towards the source... the Kyuubi, which was currently shaking its head some distance away... Apparently, whatever technique it was the woman used shocked the bijuu and knocked it backwards... probably the kitsune, despite its huge size, has been repelled by the large(although it was larger than any of them, it was still much, much smaller than the Kyuubi), glowing flower-like object in front of them...

Now was not the time for asking questions.

True, Minato did not know her, and in fact, it was the first time he had seen her (although somehow, her aura seems quite familiar, not to mention the fact that woman seems to know him, although since everyone in Konoha knows the Yondaime, that part was not really much of a surprise.).

"Yondaime-sama," stated the woman. "Please take your wife and son to a safe place, then come back here with reinforcements..."

Still, based from her actions, as well as the fact that she was wearing a Konoha Leaf Headband like a turban, she was definitely an ally...

"... I will buy you some time..."

* * *

**AUTHOR'S NOTES**

Alright, now to be honest with you, I actually had a half mind to make this chapter, since it's actually kind of a sequel to my other fanfic. However, I was afraid that I might lose the idea if I don't type it down. (Writing is not an option, since I always lose my scraps of paper), so I did it anyway...

Yes, this is a sequel, sort of... to my other fic, Fate: Shinobi World, as well as connected to my other fic, A New Fate, in an isolated way. And from summary itself, I'm sure you'll be able to guess what kind of story this will turn out to be.

Now, as I'm sure, from the word in the title itself, _Alternate_, I'm sure you'll be able to guess what I'm planning somewhat, and it's quite similar to Naruto getting sent to the past only to find himself facing, not a younger Naruto, but a younger _Naruko_... teh heh... but this will be different... and yeah, whoever it was that got sent back is not alone, as you can guess from the pairings...

But that's all I'm saying for now...

And like always, I hope you enjoy this chapter...

Later then, people...


	2. Chapter 1

**CHAPTER 1: KITSUNE BATTLE (START)  
**

(Sarutobi POV)

It was a nightmare... or at least, he wished it were... for in truth, what he was seeing was not simply a horrible dream... it was real...

The Hidden Leaf Village was in ruins. More than half of the buildings had been destroyed... stores, offices, and houses... have been reduced into nothing... and in some areas, fire had broken out, and many were doing what they could to put them out...

The greatest loss, however, was not the damage to property... but rather, it was the fact that many lives were lost... and the Sandaime's wife, Biwako, was among them...

However, he knew too, that it was not time to grieve, for every second counts, as he, along with a couple of dozen of shinobi, continued heading in the direction where the Kyuubi's presence could be felt.

BOOM

A large explosion, accompanied by a light of gold and red, suddenly illuminated the clouds in the night sky... from the area where the group was headed... they needed to get there, and fast...

"SANDAIME-SAMA"

"?!"

Suddenly, the group came to a halt, as three people, wearing white masks... ANBU, appeared in from them, and each one of them was carrying...

"SENSEI!"

The Sandaime, despite the situation, could not help but feel shocked, first at the fact that a certain young, silver-haired jounin in disguise, had actually disobeyed the order for them not to join the defense of Konoha. However, he was much more surprised at the fact that the three people they were carrying...

... were Minato, his wife Kushina, and their son who the Sandaime was sure they named Naruto...

He wanted to question them, to ask them what happened. However, before he could do so, the three masked figures vanished in a puff of smoke... they were nothing but Shadow Clones...

True, Sarutobi was relieved when he heard from the medic-nins with them that the Yondaime and his familiy's conditions were stable, and thus their lives were not in any danger, although from the looks of things, they would not be waking up anytime soon... However, if that was the case...

BOOM

Then who was fighting the Kyuubi? For from the sounds of it, the bijuu sounded angry and upset, based from its in incomprehensible grumbling, and whoever it was it was facing was giving it a hard time...

"?"

Suddenly, the Sandaime noticed a leaf had stuck itself to his left arm, and when he touched it, his suspicions were confirmed, for it turned into a scroll, the Hokage cupping his chin as he began reading its contents...

_I am currently in the process of engaging the Kyuubi no kitsune. However, I am not sure how long I will be able to hold it off. Sealing it would be the only way to stop it._

Yes, the message was short, but Sarutobi understood. Having heard what happened from the reports of his subordinates, the Yondaime had teleported the Kyuubi away from the village, with the intention of taking care of it from the distance so that it could cause no further destruction.

There were still a lot of details missing, important pieces of information which the Sandaime knew were important. However... eliminating the threat of the Nine-tailed Fox was top priority. He would have to deal with them later. And right now...

"Koharu, you and your team, take Minato and his family to the hospital... and take Kakashi along with you... the rest of you... come with me..."

...they needed to act...

**-BREAK-**

**(A/N: From this point on, even if both their real names is Kurama,I will be calling the past Nine-tailed fox, Kyuubi, while I will be calling the one from the future Kurama...)**

**With Kurama **

A large, black ball of spiralling energy formed near the Kyuubi's, the giant Nine-Tailed Foxes' mouth, before the creature blasted it forward, with incredible speed, towards its target...

And it created a powerful explosion, leaving a large crater in its wake. However, despite its speed and power...

The attack did not hit its mark, and despite the large damage radius, the intended victim was unscathed...

"**RAAAWWWR!"**

In its fury, the Kyuubi charged and fired another Tailed Beast Bomb, this one even larger than the one before...

...with pretty much the same result. The target remained unharmed...

Yes, it has been a while since the battle between the two beings of power... who were actually the same entity, yet from different times, had begun... Although of course, the only one who knew this fact, was the one in human form, Kurama...

And it was for this particular reason that her past self, the giant fox in front of her, had not been able to recognize her signature... for Kurama had learned how to mask it, so that her energy would appear and feel like a normal human's instead of a bijuu's...

Still, it was not an easy task, fighting against herself, for she, Kurama, was clearly at a disadvantage...

Yes, it was true that she now had more skill and knowledge than before, and in fact, in the span of a few years, she had acquired various skills and techniques which she had found extremely useful, yet had taken them for granted for centuries. And overall, when it comes to knowledge, as well as battle experience, she had more... much more than the giant fox in front of her. For in truth, she had faced opponents that were just as dangerous as it was... heck, unlike her past self that had only had the eight tails as the strongest adversary it fought against, Kurama had even faced Madara's Susanoo, as well as the Juubi which, even though incomplete, held much more chakra than even the kitsune herself, during her lifetime, had ever had...

However, this itself was the main problem. For despite the fact that the reserves of the fox in front of her paled in comparison to the Juubi's... it was still an enormous amount... much more than the amount of chakra that Kurama currently possessed...

True, her own reserves were still enormous. She did not know exactly why, but somehow, her chakra, for whatever reason, was not depleted, but was in fact, at the enormous amount it was in when she was in her best condition, before the final battle against Madara had begun. However...

The Kyuubi had twice that amount. For as far as she remembered, during her time, before Kurama had been sealed by the Yondaime inside his son Naruto, he had first used the Death God to cut her chakra in half so that he would be able to cope with her power. And as of the moment, a portion of that had to be used to heal herself...

For Kurama had used the Rho Aias, and while it was true that it was a powerful defensive Conceptual Weapon, whatever damage it received would also appear on its user's body... and the giant fox had managed to destroy two of its petals before Kurama dispelled it...

And aside from the fact that she was floored in raw power... this time, she was by herself. For when she had faced the ten-tails, she had her friends and comrades fighting beside her which made things much easier...

Still, even though she was at a disadvantage...

That did not mean that she would lose. After all, Kurama herself is the Nine-Tailed Fox. Which means, that since the one she is fighting is herself, she would also be aware of not only of her present opponent's strengths, but also of her weaknesses.

And one of them...

"Come on now," sighed Kurama, in a teasing tone that carried disappointment, wearing a foxy grin on her face, as she stared at the giant being whose eyes were narrowed in anger and irritation, dodging the swipes of its tails all the while. "Is that really the best you can do... _Kyuu-chan?_"

...was her short fuse...

**With the Kyuubi**

The present situation was frustrating, very much so, for the mightiest of the Bijuu, the Nine-tailed Demon Fox, the Kyuubi no Kitsune...

For hundreds of years, she had roamed wild and free to do whatever she wants, challenging those who she believed were worthy adversaries, like her tailed beast brethren, while using most of the time to remain passive, grieving for the death of her precious person: the Sage of the Six Paths. Yes, this was how she had lived her life...

Then they came... the Uchiha, the Uzumaki, and the Senju... filthy, hateful, humans, that had somehow managed to acquire the ability, to control, capture and manipulate her, for their own personal gain... such despicable beings they truly were...

And now, she was faced by another one... another one of those filthy, wretched little insects, that would do the world a lot of good by being wiped out from the place of the planet... and she was, by far, the most annoying of them all...

For years, she had been imprisoned, controlled, used, by these filthy humans.

Yes, she remembered, the Kyuubi remembered how she got this freedom in the first place. One of Madara's decendants had somehow managed to abduct Kushina, her previous vessel, and had thus released her... only to control her with his despicable Sharingan...

Yet now, it no longer mattered much, for now she was free from her prison. And she was also free from the Sharingan's control... free to do whatever she wants... free to take her revenge...

At the top of her list of course, was the Uchiha who had just manipulated her. True, she did not really care for the humans, and would have stomped on any that were on her way, but when it comes right down to it, she hated being manipulated, and thus despised one manipulative individual more than all of humanity who had done her no harm put together (although she would still crush them like bugs if they were in her way.)...

However, said person had disappeared, and was out of her range. And therefore, she had to settle for the next best target of her hatred, the one who had imprisoned and jailed her for years...

Her jailor, Uzumaki Kushina, and in extension, the rest of her family, which of course included her husband, the Fourth Hokage, and their son... Yes, the bijuu would kill them. Originally, she wanted them to have a slow and painful death, but as they were nimble little insects, if she could obliterate them with one shot, it would also do...

And yet, she had been unable to do so...

For another filthy human was getting in her way...

**BIJUU DAIMA!**

'DAMN IT, WHAT IS UP WITH THIS HUMAN?!' cursed the fox inwardly, giving a mighty roar of frustration, as the kitsune saw that her attack had once again missed its marked...

Yes, the human in front of her was proving quite the challenge... well, more like an annoying little pest. For some reason, irritatingly enough, she was managing to hold her ground...

Yes, she was fast, yet not really that fast. For even in her enraged state, the Kyuubi could tell that the Yondaime was still much faster than she was. Yet for some reason, she was managing to evade her high speed offensives... every single one of them. And it was not just because of her speed.

It was true that the Uchiha do indeed have the ability to manipulate the Kyuubi with their eyes... however, their ability to predict their enemy's movements through their chakra... do not work on the chakra of the bijuu...

It should be impossible, and yet...

The nine-tailed fox had no doubt that the woman in front of her was predicting her movements, dancing around gracefully, as if she knew how the kitsune would move next...

But what really irked the Nine-tailed Fox, was not the fact that the human female in front of her was managing to hold her own against. No, the reason why she was really annoyed...

...well, the Kyuubi could not really understand the reason...

Yes, it was frustrating for the kitsune, and in fact, it was actually the first time... the very first time... that she had felt such rage for an individual... She did not know why, but somehow, the Kyuubi no Kitsune, hated and despised, the female with red-orange hair, even more than she did Madara or Hashirama, or even Kushina...

Even when she had just appeared, even when they had not yet started fighting, the moment that Kyuubi laid eyes on the woman, as she stared at her strikingly familiar piercing red eyes...

"... is that really the best you can do, _Kyuu-chan?"_

Completely forgetting everything else, completely disregarding the small bits of logic and reason that had somehow remained, the Kyuubi no Kitsune, the Nine-tailed Demon Fox, allowed herself to be consumed with pure rage and hatred...

"**I'M GOING TO RIP YOU TO SHREDS!"** roared the fox, as it charged, with incredible speed, towards woman with red-orange hair in front of her...

**With Kurama**

"**I'M GOING TO RIP YOU TO SHREDS!"**

It was indeed a terrifying. The Nine-tailed Demon Fox, which was indeed a fearsome being... had now become more terrifying than ever before, its fur now exactly the same blood red color as its eyes, as it allowed its rage to consume it, charging forward, with incredible speed, like an unstoppable tidal wave of death, its claw outstretched, it jaws opened wide...

Upon seeing such a sight, most people would probably freeze on the spot, and those that could still move would be terrified for their lives, sure that their end was near...

For Kurama, however...

That was not the case...

In fact, she was actually enjoying herself, amused, yet irritated, at the same time...

Amused, at the fact that it had been so easy, even without the Sharingan, to goad the bijuu, to manipulate her, to enrage her (enough), to make her do what she wants...

Irritated, as she realized that her temper used to be one of her greatness weaknesses...

At least now she was taking full advantage of it... against herself that is...

"**?!"**

Kurama could not help but smirk inwardly, as she saw her past self falling for one of the most obvious tricks in the book. Having been unaware of her abilities, since it had only been given a glimpse the giant fox had been wary, even just a little, as it had kept its distance from the orange-haired female. After all, it had been deflected and thrown back by its own force, the moment that it tried to ram through the Rho Aius, although it did manage to shatter two of its petals in the process.

The moment Kurama managed to piss her off however, like she predicted, the Nine-tailed Demon Fox disregarded all reason, allowing its rage to control it, and thus charged in mindlessly like a bulldozer, which reminded Kurama of some of her friends, especially one that literally turns his own body into a giant bowling bowl...

...and thus, the bijuu fell for her trap...

...hook, line and sinker...

"**WHAT IS THIS?!"** roared the fox in fury, as it struggled, but it was futile: the greatest and mightiest of the bijuu was unable to move...

For the supposedly invincible creature, had fallen into Kurama's trap. Knowing how the giant fox would react when pissed, that it would simply charge at its target without thinking, the female with red-orange hair had discreetly used one of her techniques, and had turned the area separating her and the bijuu...

...into a giant pit, that was filled with quicksand... the murkiest and stickiest of its kind...

And she found it amusing the giant furball struggle... However...

While it was true that Kurama would have loved nothing more than to goad, to continue watching, and enjoy the sight in front of her... Perhaps she had turned into a masochist after, since she was enjoying playing with herself and seeing herself in pain... Now was not the time to dwell on that...

For if Kurama knew the fox... if she knew herself... since no one was controlling her actions... she was bound to find a way around it sooner and later... and Kurama knew that it would be best not to give her the chance to recover...

With this in mind, the woman with red-orange hair began performing some handseals for her finishing move...

"?!"

In an unexpected instant, the giant fox had managed to escape the snare that it was trapped in... and in the next one, before Kurama could finish the technique, having been caught off guard...

"**GOT YOU!"**

...the Kyuubi had managed to catch her, and was now holding the red-orange-haired female tightly between one of its paws...

'_Crap,' _cursed Kurama inwardly, unable to breathe, as she stared at the Kyuubi straight in the eyes, which was currently wearing a playful, triumphant smile on its face...

And it did not bode well for her...

The situation had been reversed...

**With the Kyuubi**

"**GOT YOU!"**

Yes, it was a nice and nasty feeling... a feeling which the Kyuubi relished... a feeling which she had not felt in a long time...

For the pathetic human who had irked and annoyed her so, even more than Uchiha Madara or her previous host Kushina... was finally in her grasp...

...and it was a really great feeling...

True, Kyuubi did not understand why, what it was that made the bug in front her tick... however, that was not important anymore... All that mattered, was that she was at her mercy. And the Kyuubi would soon be rid of the annoying creature once and for all...

Though of course, she would first have her fun...

"**Pathetic,"** echoed the Kyuubi. **"Did you actually believe that you had a chance against me? The great Kyuubi no Kitsune? How foolish! Now squirm!"**

As she said these words, the Nine-Tailed Demon Fox tightened her grip on the woman... though of course, she was adding pressure little by little, killing her slowly, relishing every moment, as she watched the red-orange-haired female suffer...

And indeed, it was fun watching her squirm, unable to even scream, as she slowly lost her breath, her life slowly fading aw...

"**?!"**

In one moment, the giant fox had been slowly constricting her prey. In the next moment, however, her paws had lost their strength, yet the Kyuubi had not even noticed...

For she was...

"**AAAARGH!"**

...in great pain...

The Kyuubi no Kitsune, the mighty Nine-Tailed Demon Fox, could not help but scream in agony, a scream that could be heard distances away... as she felt things... saw things... visions... flashes of them... flow, like a raging river, through her head...

Memories, that were not the Kyuubi's own...

Yet why do these memories feel like they were the Kyuubi's own?

Emotions and bonds that were not hers...

Yet why do these emotions and bonds feel like they were hers?

Soon enough however, the memories stopped, and when the giant fox came to, she noticed that she had lost her grip over her human prey, who was kneeling on the ground, panting... and based from the look on her face... the Kyuubi did not know why... but for some reason... the red-orange-haired female seemed to have experienced the same thing...

"**Who are you?!" **grumbled the Kyuubi, as it stared down at the puny looking female, for she was now starting to see her in a different light... **"WHO ARE YOU?! ANSWER MEEE!"**

...yet refusing, with every fibre of her being, to believe it...

**With Kurama**

It was over. For some reason, despite her ability to think quickly and adapt to all kinds of situations, Kurama knew that it was the end for her... she was going to die...

Not that it mattered much to her of course. While it was true that she had given her best effort to stop the Kyuubi, to stop herself, in the way that she best saw fit, she did not really care whether she herself would survive or not...

For in truth, the moment when she thought she had the giant fox immobile, she actually intended to use the Shiki Fujin, the Reaper Death Seal, to seal the bijuu. Instead of sealing it inside an infant like the Yondaime planned, however, she would seal the fox in a small pot, which was made of unique materials, that will allow it to contain something powerful, even something like the Kyuubi, and keep its power completely locked away for fifty years. Kurama did not know how or why it was possible, but she still had the things she had before she vanished... and the pot was one of them...

Not that Kurama did not know any other way to subdue the Nine Tailed Demon Fox. In fact, she actually had knowledge, and could use perfectly, two other sealing techniques, which, in said circumstance, would actually be just as effective, but without the sacrifice.

In other circumstances, she would probably have preferred to use them over Shiki Fujin. In her current predicament, however, it was not the case. For in truth...

Kurama was planning to die in the process...

The plan was simple, really. Summon the Death God. Seal the Kyuubi inside the pot, then use her last remaining strength to put up a barrier that would allow only Sarutobi Hiruzen to pass through it without issue. Of course, Kurama would leave some of her own undisguised chakra around the pot so that the Sandaime would not have any problem finding it, along with a note telling him the details of what happened (with the exception of course, of the sealer's true identity), as well as instructions on how to use the sealing technique. True, she would use Shiki Fujin, but the Death God would only serve as the power that would force the Kyuubi into the pot, for the seal she would use to imprison it would be different.

And then she would die... And earn some well-deserved rest. After all, anyone who uses the Reaper Death Seal is supposed to be doomed to fight and eternal battle against the one they sealed along with them inside its stomach... but since Kurama was not taking Kyuubi along with her, she would probably find peace there...

Yet now, her plan was in ruins. For her past self had managed to outwit her, or perhaps Kurama simply got arrogant or careless. Either way, it was over now. She had failed.

For the Kyuubi had managed to catch her, and now, every single bone in Kurama's body, including her spine, had been shattered when the fox had squeezed her...

True, she had high speed regeneration, due to her chakra, but it would take at least two minutes for her to fully recover... a minute to be able to move again and perform the appropriate handseals for her technique... Time which she knew her past self would not give her...

"**WHO ARE YOU?! ANSWER MEEE!"**

Still, despite the pain she was in, Kurama could not help but smirk inwardly, as she noticed the rage and confusion that her counterpart was feeling...

Yes, the moment they had touched physically, she already had a suspicion that something like this could happen. After all, for two of the same being to exist at the same time was bending the laws of nature, not to mention the fact that she knew two certain individuals, who were the same, yet different person, who had the same experience...

And somehow, she found it all amusing...

So the Kyuubi wanted to know who she was? Or does she already know, yet refused to accept it? Either way it did not matter. For Kurama would not reply. She would stay silent, to the very end. She would deprive the bijuu of the answers it so desired...

And thus, Kurama merely smiled, a mocking, defiant smile, as she stared up the at the Kyuubi no Kitsune, which she knew would be enough to get a violent reaction from her, without fear readable in her expression... For even though she failed, she had managed to buy some time... She only hoped that the Sandaime was strong and wise enough to handle the bijuu... though knowing him, he probably would be able to pull it off...

"**DIE!"**

And as the fox brought down its giant claw, Kurama did not close her eyes, nor did she look away... She would remain defiant to the end... Not against death... but against herself...

"Caladbolg..."

"?!"

For a moment it seemed as if time had stopped, everything seemed to be in slow motion, as Kurama's brain tried to process what she just heard... Perhaps she was becoming delusional, and her mind was now playing tricks on her, as she was now hearing things...

The next moment, however...

She saw a long thin, streak of light, moved with incredible speed through the air, distorting the space around it as it did so, before...

BOOM

A huge explosion occurred, creating a miniature sun, as the projectile hit its mark... the fox's outstretched limb..

"**AAARGH!"**

And said bijuu was now howling in pain, owing to the fact that its left paw, which just moments before, were close to crushing Kurama... was gone...

"Fighting against your past self now, are we? Tch. I guess I wasn't the only one then." stated a mocking male voice.

The red-orange-haired female, who had been expecting death to claim her just moments before, could not help but look in shock and disbelief, as she continued to stare at the person who had appeared beside her... A young man with silvery-white hair and steel grey eyes, who was holding a bow in his hand...

"Archer..."

* * *

**AUTHOR'S NOTES**

Alright, another chapter out. Yeah, I must admit that I had been a bit motivated this time around to write down this one, mostly due to the fact that if I don't, the idea will just disappear into nothingness.

So anyway, as you read this chapter, you'll probably be asking some questions.

Like what happened to Minato? Who was it who carried them? Well, I purposely skipped these out, since these parts will be explained in the next two or three chapters from his point of view, though I'm sure you can already guess...

How could Kurama use the Rho Aias? Well, as far as I know, this particular shield is a Conceptual Weapon. So correct me if I'm wrong, but with enough skill on the part of the magus/ shinobi, as well as knowledge, I believe that they'll be able to use it. And it does kind of fit her... I hope...

Now, as for my other fics... well no, I am not abandoning them, and I will finish them, that's for sure, although that's still a long way to go. It just so happens that it's hard to divide my attention, not just between my fanfics, but between my work in office as well as in school as well...

But enough about that...

And like always, I hope you enjoy this chapter...

Later then, people...


	3. Chapter 2

**CHAPTER 2: KITSUNE BATTLE (END)**

(Archer POV)

He remembered. He remembered everything, as if it was yesterday. And not in the way Counter Guardians do... oh no...

For when a contractor of Alaya access memories of his other lives, they are nothing but mere data, pieces of information, as if they are reading it from archives, from a library, and even if it was themselves that were involved, they have no attachment.

This time however, it was not the case. He was attached, the memories held emotions and bonds... and very strong ones at that...

He remembered, just where it all began. In his past life, he was once known as Emiya Shirou, who had lived, pursuing his ideals, to try and save everyone, to save as many people as he could, and how he ended up throwing himself away, as well as his heart, his friends, comrades, and loved ones, in the process...

He recalled, being summoned as Archer, to the 5th Holy Grail War, the chance to kill his younger self, the chance to free himself from the endless cycle of pain and misery. And yet, he had been swayed, by the younger version of himself, who was a reflection of the Counter Guardian's true heart. For this version of himself, while it was true that he still wanted to save everyone, did not abandon his heart. He had a mind of steel, and an unwavering resolve, yet he would not hesitate to throw away his ideals, in favour of saving his loved ones. For unlike what Archer had done, his younger self would opt to destroy countless lives, if it means that one of his precious persons will be saved. True, it was still distorted, but there was neither absolute good nor absolute evil. Everything was in a grey scale, and as far as their conscience was concerned... not saving a loved one weighed more heavily than slaughtering or allowing nameless people to die... True, it was selfish notion, but then, at least he was honest with himself. Nobody was perfect after all. Thus, when Archer died, instead of merging with the Grail, his soul merged with his younger self.

Then, as fate would have it, his younger self died, not in battle. No, he forfeited his own life, sacrificing it, exchanging it, in order to save the life of a silver-haired girl... Archer's precious person...

Still, Archer should not have been aware of this, since his consciousness was no longer in existence at the time. So how did he know?

Well, it seemed like destiny, fate or whatever, since he was now convinced that his former contractor Alaya had nothing to do with it (maybe), was still toying with him...

And thus he was reincarnated, along with the soul of his younger self, as a boy named Uzumaki Naruto. Yep. The existence known as Emiya Shirou was really, really, very lucky. Tsk.

Why? Because he was reborn in the Elemental Nations. The world of shinobi.

A world that was riddled with endless conflict and suffering.

A world that could be compared to a living hell in a way.

Oh joy.

Still, not everything was bad, well, for Naruto at least (aka Archer's younger alternate version in their past life). For when he was reincarnated, someone actually ended up following him. For Naruto, who was also Emiya Shirou in his past life, had fallen in love with Saber, aka Arturia Pendragon, the Once and Future King of England, and who in turn returned his feelings. And said person, not wanting to leave her precious one and only alone, followed her lover, through means that cannot be logically explained, and got herself reincarnated as well, as a pink-haired female named Haruno Sakura...

And after a while, the group that was comprised of four individuals had become a group of six close friends, and, through Archer's suggestion, from a certain manga he had read when they were still alive, they decided Orashion Seisu, and somehow, despite their noble objectives, due to some of the methods they employed, the name really did suit them... Heck, Archer was actually surprised with how well Saber had adopted to this new world, since shinobi were in a way, like Assassins, and while it was true that she did prefer to fight head on, she did not mind using underhanded tricks to achieve their goals.

And thus their group was formed:

A stubborn, pink-haired female, who was really handy and skilled the blade... as well as manipulating the wind...

A blonde-haired boy who had the exact same mindset as Archer...a mind of steel and an unwavering heart... as well as possessing the same rare element 'sword...'

A noisy, black-haired female who possessed powerful Mystic Eyes/doujutsu, and who was extremely talented at controlling flames and creating illusions...

A female with red-orange hair who possessed an enormous amount of raw energy...

And another red-head, who was formerly a missing nin, and highly skilled with puppets... surpassing even a certain Touko Aozaki, in Archers opinion at least, when it comes to the craft. He was reason the why he(Archer) and the other red-haired female managed to have a body in the first place...

Yes, and what a nice and happy group they made. For despite their personal natures, they had managed to get along and even the puppet user, who was the most distant member of their group, had come to see them as his own family.

And as time passed, together, they had managed to create bonds of friendship and camaraderie. True, it was not an easy task (In fact, it had been a really, very, extremely long, tedious and difficult task), but they had succeeded to unite the people of the Elemental Nations, to fight against their biggest threat.

And it was in this Fourth Ninja War that Archer fell... Not that it mattered much to him, of course. And indeed, after all the hardships he had gone through, he will finally be able to get some well-deserved rest, some well-deserved peace of m...

BOOM

"?!"

...or not...

"What? Kurama? What in the Root? What does that damned vixen think she's doing," muttered Archer with a groan, having been forced awake. And indeed, if the first thing you see when you open your eyes is a gigantic orange furball with nine tails, which was firing destructive balls of energy in its wake, who wouldn't be forced awake?

Yes, it seems as if he would not even get his well-deserved rest...

_Zelretch be damned, can't I take a break?_ cursed Archer inwardly. Still, despite his complaints and grumblings, he knew that it was not the time to dwell on it. Being quick-witted as he was, as well as having regained some (and loath though he was to admit it, it was actually most) of his human emotions, it was only to be expected. True, he was still the cynical jerk he had become on the surface, but during his time around his other self and his friends, he had regained his humanity...

Archer may not yet completely sure of their situation... but he already had a pretty good idea... if having two Kuramas was enough of an indication...

All of these the man of the bow processed in a very short moment. Knowing there was no time to waste, seeing one of his closest friends was in danger, he quickly drew up his bow...

"I am the bone of my sword..."

...and Traced one of his most trusted projectiles... a modified Noble Phantasm shaped like a corkscrew...

"Caladbolg..." declared Archer, as he let the arrow fly, which exploded the moment it reached its mark...

Unlike what he usually does, however, instead of staying in place after letting loose an arrow, Archer used it as a distraction, and shunshind his way to his friend's side...

"Fighting against your past self, are we now? Tch. I guess I wasn't the only one then," Archer greeted in his usual mocking and sarcastic tone...

The silver-haired warrior could not help but smirk, as he saw the frown that appeared on the vixen's face, along with a twitching vein on her forehead...

"Archer..."

And if looks could kill, Archer was sure that he would probably already have burning holes all over his body by now.

_She's even scarier than that giant furball,_ sighed Archer inwardly.

Yes, life, reincarnation... or the hell, existing, was certainly a bitch. However, as Archer saw the cute... (yes, he found it cute) expression that appeared on Kurama's face as he continued teasing her, even though he knew he would probably be getting retribution later...

...perhaps it was not that bad after all...

**-BREAK-**

(Archer POV)

In a certain unpopulated place on the skirts of Konoha, where there were large craters, as well as many trees destroyed from an ongoing battle... in the middle of it all... two people, who had just recently been reunited (just a few seconds in fact) had begun bickering and arguing with each other...

"So you're alive," commented a certain irritated kitsune, as she stared at the man clad in red who had appeared by her side.

"Why, were you worried about me?" inquired Archer in a teasing tone.

"Of course I was," answered Kurama offhandedly. "I was worried that you had actually managed to survive... and it seems that I was right to do so..."

Yes, they were arguing, as if they hated each other's guts... and perhaps, that may be true in a way... but in truth, even though they did hold some dislike for each other, while both of them might never, in all eternity admit it openly, the two of them, Archer and Kurama, actually considered each other one of their precious persons and in fact, both of them could not have been any happier to see each other...

"Now, that's cruel," stated the bowman, with mock sorrow in his voice. "I thought you would be happy to see me?"

"As if that'll ever happen," scoffed the red-orange-haired female as she set her eyes skywards, as if saying that it will be a miracle if that was the case. "How did you ge..."

"**DIE!"**

Unfortunately, the other Kurama, the Kyuubi, had taken advantage of their distraction, and fired a Tailed Beast Bomb right down at them... and they had barely manage to escape...

"I believe we must put this off for later..." stated Archer nervously. "So then, Kyuu-ch..."

Crack

In one moment, the silver-haired warrior had been feeling relieved, for he had managed to move Kurama and himself away from the giant ball of energy's line of fire just in time... The next moment...

He was clutching in agony... having just received a powerful kick at that delicate spot... at his own pair of balls...

"What was that for?!" hissed Archer, as he glared at the kitsune in human form. It took every bit of self-control he had to stop himself from screaming and keep his voice at a low volume. And given the kind of pain that had just been inflicted on him, it was indeed quite a feat...

"That's what you get for trying to molest me," replied the kitsune flatly.

"Molest you? I just saved your life." stated Archer, trying to make his voice return to its normally calm and annoying tone. "And besides, you don't have anything to..."

Whoosh!

Crack

"Could you please repeat what you said just now, Emiya-kun?" asked the kitsune, whose tone no longer had any of its previous irritation, and who was in fact, now sounding quite cheerful, as she wore a wonderful smile on her face...

When Archer sensed that a Bijuu Daima had been unleashed upon them, he had reacted instinctively, and carried Kurama before he flickered out of death's way. Well sure... he may have ended up touching a part or two in the hurry of the moment, but he did not mean to (though admittedly, she had quite the assets, and thus his words were untrue and out of place). And even if he did, she just saved her life. Still...

"Whoa, easy there," said the silver-haired bowman nervously, as he saw the cracks that had appeared on the rocks(which were actually only hit by the force) behind him, from the power of the kick that had once again been aimed at his vital spot, though thankfully it missed... It would be best to calm her down...

For the kind of smile that Kurama was currently wearing...

...was not a good smile...

...and it was a bad omen... for Archer at least...

For in the long time they had known each other, Kurama had always referred to Archer by his class name, and in fact, everyone calls him by that name, Archer. The moment the kitsune calls him (and Naruto as well) Emiya-kun, however...

It means that she was really, really pissed off at either him or Naruto...

... and since Archer had seen what happened to the blonde when he pissed off the red-orange-haired female because of something he had unintentionally done (thanks to a certain super pervert toad summoner)...

...Well, he would rather that it did not happen to him...

BOOM

"**COME OUT YOU COWARDS!"**

However, now was definitely not the best time for them to be bickering amongst themselves...

Remembering the gravity of the situation they were in, the two nodded at each other, silently agreeing to put away their issues for now to take care of the more pressing problem...

"So, what are we going to do about y... her," inquired Archer, hastily covering his slip.

"You mean what are we going to do about that?"

Archer nodded in response. For some reason he was not surprised to note that Kurama seemed to hate the giant fox(which had now regenerated its paw)... after all, he herself was like her before... although unlike Archer, her reasons seems to be a bit more justified than his own...

"Well, as you already know," began the kitsune, keeping the volume of her voice as low as possible. "A bijuu is actually pure energy manifested in physical form. Killing someone like myself is extremely difficult..."

"I may have a some things here that can do the job though," stated Archer honestly. And it was true. He did have weapons in Unlimited Blade Works that can be used to slay a Tailed Beast, although with enormous difficulty... or at least, injure it...

However, both of them were also aware of the silent warfare that was occurring between the Hidden Villages in the Elemental Nations... And since possession of a Tailed Beast was both a symbol and show of power (as well as actually possession of it)... they cannot allow Konoha to lose its ground... Which is why...

"...we're going to have to seal it..." stated Kurama matter-of-factly, as she stared at the silver-haired bowman straight in the eye. "Archer, you remember those chains of yours?"

"You mean..." replied the silver-haired man questioningly, although in truth he already knew exactly which chains she was talking about (since she herself had been bound with it in the past when she went berserk), as well as an inkling of where the conversation was going.

"Yes," replied Kurama, as a smile had once again begun playing on her lips. "I have a plan..."

**-BREAK-**

(Multiperson POV)

**With Kurama**

Life was not fair. That was something which a certain kitsune, whose name was Kurama, knew for a fact. Karma... that the good will live a good life and the evil will be punished and in misery... that notion was certainly bullshit. No matter how much tries to maintain balance, it was impossible, for from the very beginning... there was no such thing as balance or fairness...

For during the few years that she had spent with her friends... she had seen good people... so many of them in fact... either suffering due to injustices or circumstances... or lose their lives meaninglessly...

Yes, it was true, the world was definitely a cruel and distorted place. And it was probably the reason why certain people had done terrible things, to try and turn the world into a world of genjutsu... where peace was everlasting... And yet, it was not true peace, it was nothing but an illusion... an imaginary world... an attempt to go against destiny...

And it is for this very reason that Kurama, along with her comrades, had went against it, and with every last bit of strength they had, they opposed its creation...

Still, if there was one thing which the kitsune could not help but respect in her enemies, even just a little... it was the fact that they too, had tried going against fate and destiny...

Yes, many of them were blatantly using the word, saying that they were fated for this and that, destined for this and that... however, when it came right down to it... they were actually going against it... For in truth, what they were actually doing...

...was forging their own path...

And it was something which Kurama had done to the very end... or what she thought would be the end...

In truth, when Kurama had first realized what happened to her... the fact that she was alive, and that she had somehow gone back in time... she had wanted to die, she had wanted to end it all... she just wanted to rest... to be at peace...

Yet now, she remembered, the reason why she was alive... the reason why she was truly alive... and it was because of them... her precious friends, who had shown her what it truly means to live...

She had lived, for hundreds of years... for a very long amount of time... and yet during all those times... she was not truly alive... she was just as good dead... For she was nothing, but a large ball of rage and energy... she might as well be a thing...

And her friends had saved her from it... had rescued her from her hell, that was her own making... She was no longer just existing. She was alive, truly alive...

And after all they had been through together, why the hell did she think that dying was not such a bad thing? Well, yes, she had sacrificed herself at that time... but only because she knew there was no other way...

But this time, it was not the case. There was a way, for her to succeed, without having to sacrifice herself in the process...

Had she been alone, perhaps she would not have minded, perhaps she would have still preferred to die... but now...

He was here... the kitsune did not know how it happened... but one of the people Kurama considered dearest to her... was here...

Which was why she had changed her mind... She had decided, that she would everything in her power, to stay alive... For what she now hated most of all...

Was seeing people crying in front of her... seeing people in grief because of her...

And if she died... well, he might never admit it, but she was sure that there was at least one person now who would mourn her death... and she could not have that...

"HEY, KYUU-CHAN!"

Having screamed at the top of her voice, as well as flared up her chakra, it had been a relatively easy task for Kurama to get her the giant fox's attention.

Howling in rage, upon finding its target in its sights, the fox immediately fired another Tailed Beast Bomb at her...

BOOM

...which said target evaded with ease...

"Tsk. Tsk. Tsk." stated Kurama in a mocking tone, as it stared the fox straight in the eye, before her voice turned cold. "So you really like playing ball games, do you? Very well." At this Kurama started forming handseals, her chakra turning from blue to golden as she did so, performing one of her signature jutsus...

**With the Kyuubi**

"_**?"**_

_It was a nice and peaceful day. The heavens were clear, except for a few wisps. And near a stream, which reflected the clear blue sky, was..._

_A man, in a respectable garb, wearing a necklace comprised of six magatamas, who was wearing an all too nostalgic smile on his face..._

_**No way... it can't be... **__thought the kitsune in disbelief..._

_Yes, it was shocking experience, for the mighty Nine-tailed Demon Fox. True, she already guessed what it was... an illusion. And yet, no matter how she tried, Kyuubi could not dispel it..._

_But then... was it really all just an illusion? For the illusion..._

"_Hey Kurama, CATCH!" shouted the man, as he threw a large colourful ball at the fox, who had realized that she was much smaller than before..._

_...the illusion seemed to be real..._

_For in truth, when she was being controlled by the Uchiha, the Kyuubi's mind was a blank, and she was not aware of what she was doing. However, this time she was conscious... True, she could not break it, but the kitsune knew for sure that this was not the work of the Sharingan..._

"_Kurama, is there something on your mind?" inquired an all too familiar voice, belonging to the person who had just walked to the kitsune's side. "You seem to be..."_

_But the man was unable to finish his sentence, for before he could do so, Kyuubi slammed her claws into his stomach..._

_For a moment, the kitsune was enraged, furious at the fact that someone was actually making fun of her memories... her fondest memories, of the time when he was still alive..._

_The moment her claws had touched him however, her anger had turned to fear and worry, and the Kyuubi was now shaking in anxiety. For the man who was in front of her just moments before, and who was now lying on the riverbank in a pool blood... his aura, his feel, his nature... but most of all..._

"_Why, Kurama?" inquired the man in weak voice, his voice full of sorrow, as he stared at the kitsune one last time, before he breathed his last..._

_... was the look in his eyes... a look that was did not have any hatred... only sadness... a look that was filled with nothing but kindness, that could only belong to one person..._

_They were his... there was no doubt about it... it was him..._

"_**Rikudo-sama?"**_

_However, no response came..._

_For now..._

"_**No... i didn't..."**_

_He was dead... she had killed him._

"_**I thought... I didn't mean to... it wasn't my f..."**_

"_Of course it wasn't your fault."_

"_**RIKUDO-SAMA!"**__ roared the kitsune in relief..._

_For a moment, the Kyuubi felt reassured, as she heard him speak, and saw him standing in front of her, unharmed, running happily towards her creator, as various thoughts went through her mind... _

_Perhaps this wasn't an illusion after all... maybe this was reality... and what she had experienced was the dream... The next moment, however..._

"_**?!" **__The Nine-Tailed Fox found that she could not move..._

"_Pathetic fox," stated Rikudo Sennin in a cold, cruel voice. "Did you honestly think that someone in this world would actually care for you?"_

_Suddenly, the brightly sunny sky was filled with clouds. Thunder could be heard from the high heavens, as the world had become covered in darkness, and the only the Sage of the Six Paths could be seen, his face, now shrouded in shadows, illuminated by the flashes of lightning in the sky..._

"_**Rikudo-s...?"**__ began the kitsune in a confused tone, but the man cut her off._

"_You are nothing but a tool, a weapon, which I created. The only reason why I ever bothered with you was so that one day, my offspring... my people... would be able to use your power for their own... and you would do well to remember that..."_

_As she heard these words, the Kyuubi no Kitsune, the Nine-Tailed Demon Fox, could not help but feel a mixture of anger and sadness, as she forced her head upward, to stare at the person who she thought she could trust... the cruel person who had betrayed her..._

_Only to find that he was no longer there..._

_For in his place, wearing his black cloak, with long spiky hair, and blood red eyes with three tomoes in each one was..._

'_**MADARA!'**_

_The Kyuubi no Kitsune, the Nine-Tailed Demon Fox, enraged by the sight of the Uchiha tried to scream, to pounce at the man... Yet she found that she couldn't, for she was fixed, immobile, frozen on the spot... she could not move..._

_And to add to her dismay, she realized that she did not have her voice, and thus she couldn't even scream to let out her emotions..._

_And the man once again shifted form... this time, turning into that wretched man with smooth long hair who could manipulate plants... the Shodaime Hokage..._

_... then, he turned into her wife, and the Kyuubi's first jailor, Uzumaki Mito... then she turned into the Yondaime, then into his wife Kushina... and then into the masked Uchiha..._

"_...pathetic fox..."_

"_...nothing but a weapon..."_

"_...monster..."_

"_...freak..."_

"_...demon..."_

"_...tool..."_

"_...worthless..."_

"_...slave..."_

"_...puppet..."_

_It was a genjutsu, an illusion. Of that the Kyuubi was certain. However, to her dismay, not matter what she did, no matter how she tried, she could not break out of it... She wanted it to stop, yet it would not stop... She was trapped, without any hope of getting out, in the endless nightmare..._

"Fufufu..."

Suddenly, a breaking sound could be heard, as the world around the kitsune shattered, like glass, into several pieces... and when all the charges finally disappeared, at the very same spot where the masked Uchiha had been...

"**?!"**

...stood the being who the Kyuubi no kitsune hated above all others... the annoying human female with red-orange hair...

"So then, furball..." began the woman, who was wearing a malicious smile on her face, as she fearlessly stared at the kitsune with her piercing red eyes...

"...did you have a nice dream?"

For a moment, the giant fox froze, as its mind attempted to reorganized itself...

Then...

"**YOU BITCH!"**

Said giant fox roared with fury, as it realized exactly what happened... as well as who was the one responsible for putting her through the nightmare... She wanted to tear her to pieces... to rip her to shreds... and yet... to the fox's dismay...

"**WHAT IS THIS?!"**

...it found that it couldn't. In fact, she couldn't even move...

"Tch. Worked like a charm..."

"**WHY Y...!"**

The Kyuubi once again tried to scream out its swears of rage, but found that it couldn't...

For a chain had wound its way around its snout, shutting it tightly... and as the kitsune realized in horror, she was wrapped in it... her legs, her arms, they were all over her body... chains, which were restricting, not only her movement, but also her chakra...

And to make matters worse. the fox noticed that they were even tougher than the chains used by the her previous jailor, Kushina...

"Don't even bother Kyuu-chan," stated the red-clad man with silver-hair in a teasing voice. "Those chains wrapped around you? They're called Enkidu, and they've been made specially for dealing with beings like you."

**With Kurama**

Yes, it was a success. Her plan... their plan... was successful, and now, her counterpart, the giant fox, has been rendered immobile...

Yes, it had not been an easy task, to place the Kyuubi no kitsune in a genjutsu. For while it was true that the fox was susceptible to the Sharingan, it has a high level of resistance to other forms of illusion... even those which attack the other senses...

Which was why the only way to maintain such a powerful genjutsu on the fox is by continuously pumping chakra to support the technique. For a bijuu's chakra... consciously or unconsciously, automatically destroys any foreign chakra that enters its system. However, among all of the tailed beasts...

The Kyuubi was an exception...

Kurama had already used her signature genjutsu: **Kitsune Arts: Fox Illusion**, a technique which she had invented, in battle before. However, as she realized, for some reason, her brand of illusion, while effective against most enemies she had faced, does not work on her fellow tailed beasts or on a jinchuuriki, or on anyone that holds the chakra of a tailed beast (as well as those with the Sharingan and Rinnegan). However, with the Kyuubi no Kitsune, as well as those who hold its charka, it was not the case...

She did not know exactly why, but for some reason, Kurama had been sure, that it would work against the fox... After all, it did work on the two people who the kitsune had eaten alive, and thus used the opportunity to feast on her flesh, as well as her chakra...

For the both of them, Kurama and her past self, have the same type of chakra... which means, that it was possible for the red-orange-haired female to insert her energy into the giant fox without it, consciously or unconsciously, noticing... and her gamble paid off...

For while it was true that her genjutsu worked, it was actually just a diversion... a diversion, the purpose of which was to distract the fox long enough...

...for Archer to wrap it in chains... and it worked...

"RHO AIAS!"

Suddenly, a large flower like shield appeared in front of Kurama, which made said kitsune turn around briefly, with an inquiring look, at the person who had obviously cast it...

"Just a precaution," shrugged the bowman, as he continued focusing on keeping the chains in existence... And based from the pressure of the air around them, Kurama was sure that the bowman probably had several of his most powerful Noble Phantasms on standby in his Reality Marble, ready to be drawn out and fired if needed...

True, the fox was now immobile, unable to move. However, having just nearly lost to said bijuu for thinking it was immobile, Kurama, knew it was best not to waste time and dwell on things... It was time to take care of the Kyuubi no kitsune...

...It was time to deal with her past self...

And soon enough, a dazzling golden light engulfed the area, as the Kyuubi no Kitsune, the strongest of the bijuu, was sealed away, where it would be forced to rest until the seal breaks... although when the time does come, they will undoubtedly be prepared for it...

The threat of the Nine-Tailed Demon Fox has ended...

**-BREAK-**

(Archer POV)

"Well, that went well," commented a certain silver-haired warrior dryly, who was currently looking at an exhausted looking (and indeed, truly exhausted) Kurama, who was currently resting in a sitting position...

"Indeed," replied the kitsune wearily, as she wiped the sweat that has formed on her forehead. "Still, couldn't you have at least kept that tramp's mouth shut until the sealing was done? I swear... my ears will never be the same again..."

"You mean from all _your_ shouting?" inquired Archer in a teasing voice, which earned him a glare from the red-orange haired female. "Come on now, with your rate of healing, your eardrums would be back to normal in no time. In fact, if there's someone here who had the right to complain, that would be me..."

Yes, it had been a few minutes since their fight with the Kyuubi no Kitsune had ended. And in that span of time, the two people responsible for its defeat, had gone back to their usual bickering...

"Consider yourself lucky," said Kurama with a sigh. "If I wasn't feeling this exhausted right now, I would have probably castrated you by now..."

"Of course you would..." replied Archer, who had to use enormous effort to hide in amusement in his voice at watching the woman pout. "Of course you would..."

Well, not that he was complaining about it. After all, as Archer noted, it was actually quite normal for the two of them to argue like this... but since a certain pink-haired female and a certain puppet user was not around to keep them in line... well, let's just say that the bowman, while he was quite good at teasing and annoying people, always relented in the end when arguing with females. Yep, that had been his experience after all. For the two usual extremes which are reached by a girl when they lose their patience, namely 1)The girl explodes in anger(And depending on how much negative energy has accumulated, it can indeed be explosive, though thankfully it wasn't the case with Kurama.). 2) The girl ends up crying... were points which Archer would rather not reach...

Still, even though the bowman disliked both outcomes... he still preferred getting beaten for his actions (whether intentionally or unintentionally) than see tears fall from their eyes... Heck Archer had actually wondered if he was a masochist... but as he was someone who had once thrown away his life and sold himself to slavery to Alaya as a Counter Guardian... well, he was probably one of the top brass...

However, now was not the time to dwell on that...

"HEY THERE, OLD MAN!" shouted Archer cheerfully, waving his hands at the same time, in a rather good imitation of his younger self.

For in front of them, a familiar old man with grey and white hair (although when Archer had last seen him, all of it was already white), who was holding a staff on one hand, and a large scroll on the other, had appeared, with a calm, yet serious expression on his face, as he cautiously walked towards them (although said old man stopped for a moment with a look on surprise on his face the moment Archer greeted him, before continuing)...

And beside him, was a monkey, who, like its human companion, was also wearing a Hidden Leaf Village head protector...

Sarutobi Hiruzen, the Sandaime Hokage, had arrived...

* * *

**AUTHOR'S NOTES**

Alright, another chapter out. Well, I must admit the heat is searing these days around here. Well, I don't really know if it's really that hot... but I think it is... Since the airconditioning system in our office has barred down... damn nab it... See, one of my office mates tried to use the newly bought oven for our office... and sadly, in the hurry and excitement of toasting our snacks, it accidentally got plugged in into the wrong socket... and yeah, you know what happened next. It took two full days for us to get our power back, and when it did... well damn, the airconditioning was in smoke...

But anyway enough about that...

And like always, I hope you enjoy this chapter...

Later then, people...


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